Voting-machine.



No. 706,326. Patented Aug.

W. LANGRILL.

VOTING MACHINE.

(Application filed Feb. 14, 1900.)

{No Model.)

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' Mxxxxxxxx pacxxxxx UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM LANGRILL, OF BAY CITY, MICHIGAN.

VOTING-MACHINE.

SPECIFLCATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 706,326, dated August5, 1902.

Application filed February 14, 1900. Serial No. 5,183. (No modela To allwwnt t Indy concern.-

Beit known that I, WILLIAM LANGRILL, a citizen of Canada, residing inBay City, in the county of Bay and State of Michigan, have invented anew and useful Improvement in Voting-Machines, of which the following isa speciiication, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, andto the reference characters marked thereon, which form a part hereof.

rIhis invention relates to voting or balloting machines; and theinvention consists, chieily, in the arrangement and combination of partsand also in the construction and operation of the same, as I shallhereinafter eX- plain in detail, and point out in the claim whichfollows.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a simple, easy, andrapidly-operated means for recording a vote or ballot, whereby anycandidate for either party can be voted for separately without liabilityof mistake or all candidates on either ticket can be voted for at oneoperation.

Another object of the invention is to arrange and construct a machinefor casting votes or ballots which will operate to print upon atally-sheet indicative marks or characters representing the vote cast byeach individual voter for each candidate separately, said charactersbeing arranged in columns, so that the total votes for each candidatecan be quickly and accurately counted, thereby reducing the time ofmaking returns and obviating the liability of mistakes.

Another object of the invention is to provide means whereby the votecast for each candidate will be printed or stamped in characters uponthe face of a tally-sheet, which may be stored away in a limited spaceand preserved for future reference.

I attain these objects by means of the devices shown in the accompanyingdrawings, in which the same reference characters indicate similar partsthroughout the several illustrations.

Figure 1 represents a front view of my voting apparatus, showing theupper portion of the booth in vertical section. Fig. 2 is a side view ofthe upper portion of the booth, partly sectional, exposing a side viewof the voting apparatus within and the means for operating it. Fig. 3 isa horizontal section of a portion of the voting-booth, showing a topview of the voting apparatus, partly in section. Figari is a front viewof the tally-sheet arranged for receiving the imprint of the stamp ordies of the voting apparatus, showing a portion of the voting-booth invertical section. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section detached of one ot' theseries of voting devices.

1 represents a voting-booth of any desired form and constructionprovided with a door 2 for the passage of the voter to and from thebooth.

3 3 are vertical standards lirmly secured inside the booth. At asuitablepheight from the iioor these standards are provided withinclined transverse slots 4, within which rest the journals 5 of aroller 6, extending between the standards. At a suitable distance abovethis roller is located a second or upper roller 7, the journals 8 and 9of which extend through openings in the standards, the journal 9projecting beyond the standard and carrying a ratchet-wheel 10, firmlymounted on the outer end. Between the upper and lower rollers is avertical board 11, secured upon suitable supports 12, carried by thesupporting-standards. The face of this board is so arranged as toproject slightly beyond the vertical plane of the front faces of therollers. A paper tally-sheet 13 is Wound upon the lower roller, andafter being passed over the face of the board 11 its end is secured tothe upper roller, so that when the upper periphery of the top rollermoves ltoward the rear the tally-sheet is drawn upwardly over the faceof the board.

Secured by hinges lll inside the booth is a supporting-plate 15,extending across over the face of the tally-sheet, and through thisplate is passed one or more series of plungers 16. each series beingarranged with one plunger above another in a line slightly oblique, sothat successive impressions of any plunger will appear on thetally-sheet in a vertical column parallel with the column of impressionsmade by the next adjacent plunger. The inner ends of the plungers areprovided with raised type-faces 17 of any desired form for stamping orprinting an impression or character upon the tally-sheet when theplungers are pushed in. The inner ends of each IOO series of plungerspass through guide-bars 1S, secured to the plate l5, and each plungerhas an outwardly-pressing spring 19, so any plunger may be actuatedinwardly and automatically return independent of the other plungers ofthe series. Each plunger is provided with a stop 20, upon which rests anactuating-bar 2l, by which all ol the plungers of the series may bepushed in simultaneously. Beside each series of plungers is a rock-shaft22, journaled in supports 23, secured to the plate l5, and upon theseshafts are secured arms 24, with their outer ends resting upon the bar2l. Each shaft is provided at its lower end with a projecting arm 25,and pivoted to the outer end ot' each arm is a lever 26, pivotallymounted in a support 27. The outer end of each lever is provided with asuitable handle, and as the free end ot' the lever is pulled outwardlythe inner pivoted end thereof is depressed, rocking the shaft 22 andcausing the arms 24 to depress the bar 2l and moving all of the plungersin simultaneously. Vihen the lever is released,the springs 19 move theplungers and bar outwardly, returning the several parts to theiroriginal positions. The outer end of each plunger has a suitable knob 28for pushing it in independently ofthe others of the series.

Upon the upper portion of the front of the Voting-booth is arranged asliding bar 29, carried by suitable supports, and to one end of this baris secured a pawl 30, which is arranged to engage the teeth of theratchetwheel l0, and upon the door2 is pivotally secured one end of alink` 3l, the opposite end of which is pivoted to the end of a slidingbar $32, which passes through suitable supports and has its inner endsituated near the free end of the bar 29, so that when the door 2 of thebooth is swung back the endof the bar 32 engages the end ol bar 29,pushing it endwise and causing the pawl 30 to rotate the ratchetwheeland the upper roller slightly, thereby drawing the tally-sheet a shortdistance upward over the face of the board ll, so that a clear space ispresented on the tally-sheet to receive the impression of the plungersin recording the next vote. l/Vhen the door is again closed, the bar 32resumes its original position, and the bar 29 is actuated to bring thepawl into a position for engaging another tooth of the ratchet-wheel bya spring The door is held closed by any ordinary form of latch or catchand is normally held open by a spring 34 of ordinary form, having oneend secured to the door and the other end secured 'to the casing of thedoor or to the side of the booth.

Between the inner ends of each series of plungers and the tally-sheet isinterposed a printing-ribbon 35, mounted upon suitable rollers 3G and37, the upper roller 37 being provided with a projecting radial flange38, which rests upon the tally-sheet, and as the tally-sheet is fedalong by the pawl and ratchet the flange operates to turn the roller andmove the ribbon along to a new position, so that when the plungers arepushed inwardly their inner endsimpinge upon the ribbon and press itagainst the face ofthe tallysheet, making a print or impression upon thesheet corresponding to the character upon the end of the plunger.

Inside the booth and in front of the series of plungers is secured aspring-roller 39, having a curtain or shutter 40 wound thereon by theaction of the spring. The outer end ol' this sh utter is attached to oneend of a line or cord 4l, which extends across the booth and passes overa pulley 42, secured to the frame of the booth, and thence over a pulley43, secured to the booth at the opposite side of the doorway. The end ofthe line is then fastened to the door, so that when the door is swungoutwardly the line draws the shutter across the booth in front ofthevoting devices, concealing them from View when the door is open andpreventing their being operated until the door is closed.

Upon the face of the supporting-plate l5 are arranged spaces 44 opposite'each plunger for the name of the candidate represented by that plunger,and a space 45, above each series of plungers, is arranged to receivethe name of the party to which the candidates represented by the seriesof plungers below belong.

The face of the tally-sheet is provided with a series of longitudinallines forming columns 46, which are directly in alinement with the endsof the plungers. At the top of each column is the name ot' the candidaterepresented by the plunger which is in alinement with this column andwhich would register on the column when pushed inwardly. At the top ofthe series of columns embraced by one series of plungers is printed thename of the party to which the candidates enumerated b y that series ofplungers belong.

In practice the door ot' the booth remains open when the booth is notoccupied by a voter. The tally-sheet prepared for receivingthe record ofthe votes beingin place, the voter steps into the booth and closes thedoor 2. The line 4l is relaxed, and the springroller winds the shutteraround its periphery, exposing the voting apparatus. It the voterdesires tovote the f ull party ticket, he pulls outwardly on the lever26 which is below the series of plungers representing the candidates ofthat party, thus depressing all the plungers of that seriessimultaneously and imprinting the dies of the whole series of plungersupon the several columns of the tally-sheet corresponding to the namesof the candidates represented by the series. Should the voter desire tovote forpart of the candidates on each ticket, he depresses the plungeropposite the name of each candidate desired, and the print of thatplunger is made upon the tally-sheet in the proper column. The voterthen unfastens the door and the spring 34 swings the door outwardly,operat- IIO IIS

ing the pawl-and-ratchet mechanism to turn the roller 7 and moving thetally-sheet to a new position. Since the tally-sheet is moved at thetime the door is swung wide open, the voter is prevented from voting fora candidate more than once. If the tally-sheet is not moved, a secondoperation of the plunger makes the imprint of the plunger in the sameplace and directly upon the rst impression.

By means of this apparatus an accurate and true count of the totalnumber of votes cast for any candidate can be quickly and easilyascertained by counting the marks or impressions in the column under thename of the candidate. In order to make the count at the close ofvoting, the supporting-plate and plungers are swung outwardly on thehinges 14 and the tallysheet is rewound upon the lower roller, which canthen be removed from the slots. The names of the candidates are at theend of the tally-sheet, which can then be unwound, and the indicativemarks in each space can be quickly counted and accredited to thecorresponding name over the space or column.

It is proposed to have one series of plungers to represent each party orone series for State and a second for county officers. rlhe charactersin the columns of the different parties can be made in diiferent colors,ifdesired, or diierent forms of characters may be used to designate thedifferent parties.

Instead of the printing-ribbon some other well-known form of device maybe used for inking the dies of the plungers.

It is of course understood that while I have shown and described certainpawl-and-ratchet mechanism for moving the tally-sheet any other suitableform of these devices may be used, the aim and intent of the inventionbeing to provide a means for moving the tallysheet after each vote hasbeen recorded, effectin g this by the door, which being released toallow the voter to pass from the booth is swung open by the spring 34:.The shutter being in front of the plungers while the door is openprevents the voter from operating the plungers until the door has beenclosed and retained by the catch, insuring the movement ot thetally-sheet before the voter can register his ballot. It will also beunderstood that while I have shown seven plungers in a series more orless can be used, and any number of series can be used.

A great saving of time and expense is obtained by the use of my improvedmachine, as all of the expense of printing the tickets for the severalparties is avoided and the expense of a recount is greatly reduced. IIhetime required for votingis also reduced, since the plungers can berapidly operated with great accuracy and precision and without liabilityof mistakes.

Having described the construction and operation of my invention, what Iclaim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In a voting-machine, the combination of the voting-booth provided withan entrancedoor, an upper and a lower roller journaled in supportswithin the booth, a supportingboard extending over the space between therollers, a tally-sheet passed over the outer face of the board and withits end portions secured upon the rollers, mechanism for impartingrevolution to the rollers by the movement of the door, a removablesupportingplate arranged in front of the tally-sheet and carrying aseries of plungers having on their ends printing die-faces presented tothe tallysheet, a series of springs for actuating the plungersoutwardly, a curtain-shutter carried by a spring-roller at one side ofthe booth and located in front of the supporting-plate, a line carriedby pulleys and extending across the booth and with one end secured tothe said shutter and having its opposite end secured to the outer edgeof the door for moving the shutter across the booth in front of theseries of plungers when the dooris opened, and a spring for swinging theentrance-door open, substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

NVILLIAM LANGRILL.

Witnesses n JAs. E. TnoMAs, E. TERWILLIGES.

